Day 1 – Monday 15 July
The first day of the Cairns Hearing opened with an opening address from Peter Rozen QC who outlined the key themes to be examined over the course of the Cairns hearing: quality of life and quality of care for people receiving aged care, as well as access to aged care in rural and regional Australia. A case study focusing on Avondrust Lodge, operated by MiCare Ltd, was introduced with the first witness, Johanna Aalberts-Henderson giving direct evidence about the care her mother received while in Avondrust Lodge. The General Manager of Residential Services for MiCare Ltd, followed by wound consultant, Jan Price, then provided evidence in response regarding the management of and care provided to Ms Aalberts-Henderson’s mother. Petranella Neeleman, Executive Director of MiCare Ltd and the final witness for the day, then spoke of her failure to meet her responsibilities to Ms Alberts-Henderson and her mother and highlighted funding issues in aged care generally.
Day 2 – Tuesday 16 July
The Cairns Hearing continued on the topic of quality of life, with the first three witnesses, Nicholas Hall, Chef; Timothy Deverall, Chef; and Lindy Twyford, Hospitality Manager, giving evidence together on the shortcomings of food preparation and service in residential aged care facilities. Maggie Beer then spoke of the work undertaken with the Maggie Beer Foundation, giving evidence about the food experiences of older Australians living in residential aged care. The fifth, sixth and seventh witnesses, Robert Hunt, CEO of Dietitians Association of Australia; Sharon Lawrence, Accredited Practising Dietitian at Dietitians Association of Australia; and Dr Sandra Iuliano from the University of Melbourne, then spoke about the important role nutrition plays in maintaining quality of life for older Australians. The eighth witness, Adrienne Lewis, Project manager (Aged Care) for the South Australian Dental Service spoke about the falling standards in oral health care amongst aged care facilities. Dr Frances Batchelor, Director of Clinical Gerontology at the National Ageing Research Institute was the final witness for the day, speaking about the importance of falls risk management.
Day 3 – Wednesday 17 July
The final day of the Cairns hearings began with Elsie Scott, a resident at NewDirection Care, Bellmere and Lisa Jones, House Companion Leader at NewDirection Care, Bellmere giving evidence of their experience living and working at NewDirection Care. Natasha Chadwick, CEO and Founder of NewDirection Care then gave evidence about the aged care services her company provides generally. The fourth witness, FA, gave direct evidence about the care her father received in two aged care facilities. The final witnesses for the Cairns Hearing gave evidence together: Sandy Green, Registered Nurse and Nurse Practitioner; Dr Jennifer Abbey, Registered Nurse and Clinical Consultant; Dr Drew Dwyer, Nursing Gerontologist; and Angela Raguz, Registered Nurse, General Manager at HammondCare. The group spoke of systemic issues within the aged care system, including remuneration structures and training programmes, as key areas in need of reform. The hearing concluded with closing submissions from Counsel Assisting, Peter Rozen QC, who summarized the key themes drawn out from the evidence during the Darwin and Cairns Hearings.
The Royal Commission will resume in Mildura on 29 July 2019 and will enquire into the needs of family, informal and unpaid carers for older Australians, including support services
for carers and respite care.
